E.O. Wilson

By TIME StaffThursday, Mar. 29, 2012

Steven Senne / AP

Age: 82
Occupation: Biologist

Wilson is already one of the greats of science, a successor to Darwin. Through his work, first with ants, he coined the term sociobiology: the idea that human behavior and culture can be spread through evolution just as biological traits are. In his great work On Human Nature, Wilson argued that we evolve together as a group, not just as individuals. And he isn't done: his new book, The Social Conquest of Earth, sums up his work and humankind's place on the planet.